


The Second Time I Met Him

by isissa



Series: Mettaton and NEO [2]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Confidence, Depression, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, big brother!mettaton, self destructive tendencies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-29
Updated: 2015-12-31
Packaged: 2018-05-10 05:12:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5572273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/isissa/pseuds/isissa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Please read the first fic in the series. This one takes place one week later, Neo and Mettaton haven't spoken since then.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Self Destructive Tendencies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [shapeshiftinterest](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=shapeshiftinterest).



> This fandom has given me so much inspiration to write.   
> Shout out to the lovely shapeshiftinterest who gave me the push I needed to make this into a series. Thank you!

 

The second time they had met, Mettaton was returning from a week long shoot. As part of his new program "The Everyday Life of a Killer Robot", he'd been on site filming for a straight week. Exhausted, he made his way to Alphys' laboratory for a routine checkup, gliding down the hand railing to their basement and having his eyes meet with Alphys' at the bottom. Alphys greeted Mettaton with a pleasant smile, but Mettaton sensed something uneasy about her. The dinosaur wrung her hands together, pacing about between two large desks with heavy computers on them.

 

"H-Hi Mettaton! Nice to see you down here again. It's been a while hasn't it?"

 

"What do you need me for, Alphys?" Mettaton asked blankly, one hand on his hip.

 

Alphys twitched, her grip on her own fist tightening. "Need you for? N-Nothing, I don't _need_ you for anything – well I mean, not to say that I don't need you around, but the point is-" 

 

"Alphys, please, I'm tired. What's wrong?"

 

Alphys frowned. "I'm that easily read h-huh? Well, I was thinking...you...maybe you could talk to Neo for me?"

 

Mettaton felt confusion tugging at his senses. "What about, darling?" The dinosaur shrunk down a bit, shuffling over to one of the desks and sitting down. She sighed.

 

"He's a mess, Mettaton. I don't know what to do for him. He's naturally anxious, but after what happened a week ago, it's gotten worse for him. I don't think I can instill confidence in him. I'm not sure what it's like myself, to be honest." Mettaton could see guilt reflected in Alphys' eyes and he felt himself filling with determination.

 

"Of course, Doctor. I would be happy to talk to him!" Truth be told, he would _love_ to get routine repairs over with and go home, but if Neo had put Alphys in a solemn mood, he wasn't about to abandon them. He steeled his resolve and asked Alphys to show him to where Neo was. A short trip down the hall later, Mettaton pushed open a metal sliding door to reveal a room that was sparsely decorated, with only a couch, computer and a desk. Neo was sitting on a wheeled office chair much like all the others littered about the lab, knees pulled up to his chest with an anime blaring in front of him.

 

As the lights from the display danced in his eye, Mettaton wandered over, examining Neo's lifeless facial features bathed in artificial light. When he was a few steps away, Neo finally turned to look at him, flinching from the shock of Mettaton arriving unannounced.

 

"Hello darling, the good doctor tells me you're not feeling well?"

 

Neo glanced down at the floor, like usual. Mettaton, used to having all eyes on him, felt a twinge of frustration. Neo mumbled at him in response. "It's nothing to worry about. Have you been through your routine with Alphys yet?"

 

Mettaton refused to allow Neo to change the subject. "How long have you been down here in front of a screen by yourself?"

 

Neo glanced upwards, though not high enough to meet Mettaton's eyes before looking down. "Not long."

 

"How long?"

 

"...A day...or two? It was Wednesday."

 

Mettaton clenched his teeth. "It's Saturday evening." Neo's eyes widened in confusion for a few seconds before his face returned to a neutral expression.

 

"Oh. My bad." He turned the chair around to look back at the screen. "I should keep a clock down here."

 

Mettaton gave the other robot a few seconds to relax before he piped up again. "When was the last time you left the lab?"

 

Neo's eyes danced to the side, glancing away from Mettaton. "A while."

 

"How long is a while?"

 

"...Um," Neo paused, counting in his head for a few moments. "I don't remember, exactly, but a bit less than a week." Mettaton was fuming, and Neo seemed to pick up on it. "It's not Alphys' fault, she tried to get me to do something with her, but..."

 

His voice trailed off and Ex felt himself tapping his foot impatiently. "I've heard about enough of this. We're leaving." Without another word, Ex stepped forward, grabbing hold of Neo's hand and pulling him sharply upwards. "You're going to go outside, get some air, and tell me what's going on."

 

Neo seemed panicked at the force at which he was being pulled, slipping out of Mettaton's grip and stumbling backwards. "M-Mettaton, I told you. I'm fine. I'll talk to Alphys later if that will make you happy, but just don't worry-"

 

His voice cut off as Ex grabbed his wrist again, this time by the cannon arm. "We're _going outside,_ Neo." He began storming out of the lab, Neo flailing about at the wrist.

 

"Mettaton, it's fine! Don't worry about me-"

 

Ex spun, sharply, pulling Neo close to him so the two had to make eye contact. "Why can't I worry about you?"

 

Neo seemed put off guard by the question, holding his eye contact with Mettaton for a few seconds before glancing away, a stern expression gracing his features.

 

"Darling, if this is about what happened a week ago-"

 

"Don't!" Neo spat before softening his voice and looking to the ground. "Don't...bring that up, Mettaton." The robot bit his lip, refusing to look up at Mettaton's concerned features.

 

"It is about that, isn't it? Darling, I told you this already, I was just having a bad day and didn't know how to react, so I lashed out. That's my fault, and-"

 

"Stop saying that! I don't believe you. You don't have to cover for me." Neo's brow furrowed and he adjusted his hair with his free hand.

 

"What exactly do you think you did wrong, anyway?" Mettaton asked, loosening his grip on Neo. "Exist?"

 

Neo fell silent, his body language reserved. He didn't attempt to reply, and Mettaton felt as he had hit the nail on the head. "Oh, darling...you don't...you don't think that...do you?"

 

Neo's only reply was his muscles tensing up.

 

Mettaton had no idea what to do, or how to react to something like this. He released his hold on Neo's arm and wrapped his arms around him in a hug instead, pressing his arms into Neo's shoulders. "Darling, you should never apologise for your existence. You were brought into this world for a reason, and that alone is enough to make you worthy of it."

 

Neo let Mettaton hold him for a few seconds, not returning the gesture. Then he stepped back. "I'm not like you, Mettaton. I wasn't born into this world before. I'm Alphys' side project. I'm not even her main interest, I'm just a...I'm an experiment. Do you get that?" He closed his eye and took a deep breath. "I'm an experiment that has cause enough trouble already. Now go home, Mettaton."

 

"I'm not going anywhere without you coming with me."

 

"Leave, Mettaton, please."

 

"I'm not going to."

 

"Leave."

 

"No."

 

Neo trembled with an emotion he couldn't pin down, opening his eyes to glare straight at Mettaton. He gathered all of his courage and shouted. "Leave! Get out! Leave me the fuck alone!" He took a step forward, a rumbling coming from his inner workings. Mettaton stepped backwards on instinct. "Just let me stay down here by myself until Alphys gets sick of me!"

 

Mettaton grit his teeth and took a step forward, meeting Neo's growing anger. "I'm not going anywhere, Neo. You're not an experiment, you're-"

 

Neo couldn't control himself, closing the gap between Mettaton and him and raising up his cannon arm. Mettaton turned to see metal swinging towards him but he didn't have time to move. The door to the room opened at that very moment, and Neo's attention turned to Alphys who was at the door.

 

"Are you boys oka-ohmygodNeowhatareyou-"

 

Neo froze as he made eye contact with Alphys, who was able to work out some of the situation from what she saw. He looked over at Mettaton, then up to his own arm, as if not recognising his own body. "Get the fuck out." He lowered his cannon arm but shoved Mettaton roughly out the door, pushing Alphys with him. The door slammed shut and Mettaton was backed up against the hall wall, unable to completely process what just happened. His heart beat quickly in his case, driven by the adrenaline of expecting to be hit.

 

Alphys was in a complete state of panic. "Mettaton! A-A-Are you ok-kay?" she held her hands out in front of her, just barely ghosting over Mettaton's exterior, as if she wanted to help but didn't know how. Mettaton nodded, slowly. "Y-Yes, Doctor, I'm...alright."

 

"What happened?"

 

"He...Neo was...going to hit me. I know...what happened I'm just not sure why it happened." He glanced down at his feet. "That shy boy, was going to hit me."

 

"You're not hurt anywhere, are you? Is _he_ hurt? Did either of you hurt each other?!"

 

"Calm down, Alphys. You saw pretty much all of it, save some shouting. But...I'm glad."

 

"Why?"

 

"If he was going to hit me, that's great news. It means he's got a strong will hidden in there somewhere. Resolve. Neo has a bit of determination within him."

 

Alphys looked completely lost, but nodded slowly. "So, he's..."

 

"Alphys," he said, spinning on his heel and placing his hands firmly on the dinosaur's shoulders. "I'm going to help Neo find his confidence!"


	2. Get in losers we're going shopping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> happy new year everyone!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i needed to post this for nye. it was written on a train ride so apologies if it isnt my best work. Thank you for reading as always!

It was about 9 in the morning the next day when Mettaton showed up at the lab again. Alphys had welcomed him in and let him to his own devices, so he was waiting in the hall outside Neo's room. He called out Neo's name a few times, but heard no response. He pressed his ear against the door, the sensitive microphones in his ear probing for a sound. He heard mumbled speech from a television turned down low, but nothing else. Unless Neo charged a lot quieter than Mettaton did, he was awake, so Neo must have been ignoring him. He slid open the door and poked his head inside. Lo and behold, Neo was sitting on the room's only couch, staring at some flashy anime playing in front of him. His knees wrre pulled up to his chest again, curled into a tight ball.

"Neo, it's Mettaton, sweetie."

No answer. Mettaton wouldn't admit it, but being ignored like this tugged at his nerves. He strode across the room, heels clicking rhythmically and passed in front of Neo a few times. Neo didn't move to acknowledge him in any sense, but his brow furrowed. The glambot took this as encouragement, bending down to meet face to face with Neo and blocking out the television. Mettaton attempted to hold eye contact with him for half a minute before Neo finally looked at him. "Jeeze, you don't give up do you?" Neo snapped, though his voice lacked energy or malice.

"Darling, we both know I don't."

Neo sighed but otherwise kept quiet. Mettaton decided to make himself comfortable by sitting down next to him, his legs neatly folded underneath him. "What are we watching?"

Neo almost considered not replying, but figured it would be easier to do so. ""s an anime." he mumbled. Mettaton shot back that that was obvious. "It's Sword Art Online, it's about this human...Kirito, who gets pulled into a video game."

"Well that's a step up from what Alphys usually watches while I'm around." Those were his honest thoughts, but he didn't mention his distaste at the character design as he gazed at the screen. Neo handed him the dvd box without looking directly at him, and Mettaton cringed at the clash of colours on the box.

"It's not the best of it's genre." Neo answered a question Mettaton never asked. "But it's popular."

"What's the best?"

Neo took a second to think. "I'm not sure...But Log Horizon is alright...I usually watch romcom."

Mettaton frowned. "Let's keep watching this."

Neo didn't answer, but Mettaton figured that meant he was agreeing. A few minutes passed, the two watching as the characters on the screen broke out of their fight to shout dialogue at each other. Mettaton's eyes wandered around the room. "Alphys didn't spice this place up at all? It's so...drab."

"She offered." Neo mumbled. "I told her she didn't have to worry."

"Why?"

Neo shot Mettaton a quick glance, and something sad danced behind his eye for a moment. Mettaton frowned again. "Do you think you're-"

"Don't worry about it, it's not important." Neo looked back to the screen. "I have my reasons, that's all."

He figured. Neo wouldn't want to decorate his room because he didn't think he needed one. Mettaton wondered if Neo owned anything of his own, he didn't think the dvds were Neo's, probably things leant to him by Alphys. "We should go shopping."

"What for?"

"For you, silly."

Neo grimaced. "No thankyou. Aren't you busy?"

"I've got nothing to do."

Neo sighed, shuffling in his place. He moved so he was sitting with his legs crossed instead of the tight ball he was in before, opening up his body language quite a bit. The star smiled. "You've got an entire television network, of course you have something to do."

He grin on his face persisted as he answered. "I've got nothing I want to do more than take you out somewhere. We're going to get decorations for your room."

"I really don't think-"

"No buts." Mettaton stood up, pulling Neo with him by the hand. "You can say no, but I won't listen. I'm a stubborn idiot and we're going out."

Neo looked notably distressed. "You're not an idiot, so-"

"So I'm stubborn and smart, whatever, let's go!" Mettaton tugged Neo out the door, the robot behind him putting up little resistance. As they passed through the front door of the lab, Alphys looked to Mettaton, then to Neo, and then shot Mettaton thumbs up and a giddy grin. Mettaton returned the gesture before pulling Neo out the door.

##

Shopping centres always gave Mettaton a rush. The primarily human, somewhat monster population rushing around, full window displays, groups of teenagers or adults hanging around coffee shops and game stores filled him with enthusiasm that was different from what he felt during his shows. Neo on the other hand looked nervous and almost overwhelmed by noise. He'd slipped out of Mettaton's hand when he noticed some feminine monsters exchanging looks of excitement, whispering and pointing at him.

"Aren't we gonna be seen by your fanbase?" Neo asked, though he already knew people were looking.

Mettaton looked as if he saw no problem with that, shrugging his shoulders. "Probably. Isn't it exciting?"

Neo's aura of distress intensified. "No! It's...We're gonna make a fuss,..."

As if summoned by the conversation, the group of monsters from earlier approached. There was a whimsun and two cat like monsters, all giggling between themselves. "Mr Mettaton sir!" one of them called out, waving her paw. "Do you mind if we say hi?"

"Not at all, darlings! Be my guest." He shot them an award winning smile and waved back, mirroring their eagerness. The group shuffled forward, shooting whispers between themselves.

"Mettaton, do you remember me? I was at your last live show."

Mettaton did, in fact remember her. "You had the butterfly hairpin, right? It looked beautiful, darling. Blue is so your colour." The cat squeaked and her face went bright red.

"Um, so, Mettaton, I was like wondering, who's that behind you?"

Mettaton reached behind him for Neo's wrist, pulling the quivering boy in front of him. "This is my dear friend Neo, please treat him with the same kindness you have all shown me, darlings."

The girls looked at Mettaton's hand wrapped around Neo's arm, and squealed. The other cat asked (screeched?) "Are you two like, totally, dating?!"

Neo looked horrified. "D-Dating?!" Mettaton just giggled and took it in stride, wrapping his arms around Neo's shoulders.

"I leave it up to your imagination, gorgeous."

"No you fucking won't-"

"Now, we're looking to have some privacy. I'll see you around, sweeties." He blew them all a kiss and they left the two alone, giggling between themselves as they went. Neo whipped his head around to glare at Mettaton.

"What was that about?!"

"Just a bit of fun darling, calm down. No need to-"

"Mettaton! You can't just...I'm...you're..." Neo found himself at a loss for words, so he turned around and huffed instead.

Mettaton was glad he didn't seem seriously angry, just flustered. He decided to switch topic to change the pace. "So, where are we going first? What would you like in your room?"

"I told you, this is a waste of time." Neo mumbled, Mettaton pressed his hands to his hips in response. "...posters."

"Anime ones?" Neo nodded. "I actually know a place. Come on." Mettaton wandered off, eyes dancing across the various displays in shop windows. Neo followed behind, allowing his eyes to wander. One escalator later, they found what Mettaton was looking for. A little indie anime merchandise shop. The front display was covered in hello kitty and shounen anime toys.

Neo felt an unusual surge of excitement as he stepped in, looking across all the various toys, wallets, posters and figures that lined the walls. The shop itself was tiny, with only one worker and 3 walls stocked to the brim with one dividing row of items. Neo felt right at home in the tiny shop, wandering around and glancing from item to item. After a few minutes, he wandered back over to Mettaton who had found a mirror to look into.

"I just remembered, I didn't bring any money."

"Oh, didn't I mention? It's my treat, so get whatever you like." Neo opened his mouth to interrupt, but Mettaton cut him off. "Alphys isn't doing that great economically, she's going off grants right now,and I know you don't have your own income. Besides...today is a present for you, anyway. So have fun."

Neo didn't argue, but wandered off, coming back with the one poster. "This is all I need, then."

Mettaton sighed. "Let me treat you, gorgeous. I saw you eyeing that figure over there." Neo didn't move, but he looked like he was thinking to himself. Probably about how much he was worth. Mettaton strode across the room and took a figure he didn't recognise off the shelf. As he made his way back to the counter, Neo tailed him.

"No, Mettaton that's too expensive, you can't-"

"It's under a hundred dollars, gorgeous. It's fine."

"That one is marked down, too." The girl behind the counter piped up.

"See, Neo? It's cheap!" He turned to the girl behind the counter. "We'll get both of these please, gorgeous."

"Mettaton, you can't-"

"Hush, darling. This is a gift." After the girl finished bagging the two items, Mettaton took them with a thankyou and another award winning smile, turning around and handing the bag to Neo. "Now you will have some colour in your room. Isn't that nicer?"

Neo nodded aprehensively. "Thank you..."

"Now...Can you eat and drink? We should have coffee."

"Mm, I can eat, but-"

"If you're going to say I'm not allowed to buy you a drink..."

Neo bit his lip. "Okay, let's get coffee."

"Wonderful!"

The two spent the next forty five minutes chatting over drinks.Mettaton asked about the figure he'd bought, which led them into a conversation about some anime about seeing flowers? He didn't understand the name, but Neo detailed the plot of the first few episodes, talking about the main character and the ghost that followed him around. Mettaton chuckled at that.

"You know I was a ghost, don't you?"

Neo nodded. "Humans think ghosts work differently than they do underground. Napstablook - sorry, that's someone I met on a forum, they-"

"Blooky?"

Neo looked up from the table, cocking his head to the side, a puzzled look sweeping over his features. "You know Napstablook? The ghost?"

Mettaton pushed on an uneasy grimace. "Mm, well, it's not important, go on."

Neo paused, for longer than he meant to. Mettaton looking uneasy made him feel uneasy, too. "Right...um...Napstablook said that humans could see them. And they couldn't believe they were a ghost because of that! It sounds weird, but they just didn't believe them."

"Most people don't know I was a ghost, but can you imagine if they did? I'd have the occult enthusiasts following me around, for sure." The two shared a laugh at that, before Mettaton's face fell serious again. "How are they? Bl-Napstablook, I mean."

Neo left a pause before he spoke again, caught off guard by the way Mettaton was gazing into the table, staring off into space. "...They're just fine. They have a bit of trouble with humans, but aparrently that's common for most monsters. Humans don't get neutral pronouns, so people think they're a boy. And they're working on a game right now, they're doing the music. That's about all I know."

Mettaton smiled, but it lacked the usual energy his smiles had. "That's good to hear."

Curiosity overwhelmed him, so he had to ask. "How do you know Napstablook?"

Mettaton looked up, studying Neo's features for a few seconds. "It's not important. Just an old friend."

Neo felt his hand tense up at Mettaton speaking the way Neo usually did. "I can tell them you said hi, if...if you want...?"

"That's alright. I'll be sure to contact them myself sometime soon. Keep this between us, okay?"

"...sure. I will."

"Good." Mettaton clapped his hands to his cheeks. "Right! There are so many more shops I want to show you!" He stood up, gesturing for Neo to follow him.

The two spent the rest of the day shopping, and returned home in a taxi with arms full of bags in the evening. Alphys watched the two carry everything inside and decided to talk to Mettaton before he left. She wandered down to Neo's room just as he was waving goodbye to her. "Mettaton? Got a minute?"

"I certainly do, Doctor. What's up?"

"How did you get Neo out of the house? And out all day?" The two chatted as they made their way upstairs.

"Oh, I just forced him." Mettaton answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"F-Forced him? Oh, Mettaton he's so-"

"Such a pushover. All I had to do was drag him out the door and he never said another word about going home until it started getting dark." Mettaton closed his eyes and smiled to himself. "He wants to go outside, or rather, to be with people but keeps telling himself he's not worth the energy. He's not afraid of socialising, he's afraid of being...extra."

Alphys didn't know whether that made her feel better, or worse. She pulled a face which was a mix of the two. "So what did you end up doing?"

"Shopping, Alphy, we gave his room a makeover. Or rather, it will be getting a makeover. Next Monday. There are movers coming with new furniture, that couch was so lumpy and horrid..."

Alphys waved her hands about wildly. "Mettaton!! You didn't have to buy all that, how much do I owe you? It might take a while for me to pay off, but-"

"Alphys," he pressed his finger to her lips. "shh, honey it was my treat. Don't worry about a thing."

Alphys made a face again. It was like a grimace.

"Oh except next Monday, worry about Monday, oh my goodness there's gonna be a lot of moving to do."

**Author's Note:**

> I'm hoping for two chapters for this one!


End file.
